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VANCOUVER – Nanaimo resident David Franklin said he couldn’t believe his eyes.
On a recent trip home, the BC Ferries passenger was handed a flyer from Transport Canada, warning him if he didn’t leave his truck and move onto the passenger deck, he could pay dearly for it.
“Transport Canada can issue fines of up to $ 12,000 to any passenger for unauthorized and illegal access to closed decks while a ferry is underway,” the pamphlet reads.
When passengers refuse to leave their vehicles on the lower deck, the ferry staff approach, knock on the windows and inform the drivers of the rules. Their refusal to leave will be reported to Transport Canada, staff say.
Around 1,000 drivers have been reported so far, although fines have yet to be established.
Franklin, who takes the ferry every two weeks, wants to stay in his truck to avoid catching COVID-19.
“I’m risking my family, I’m risking everything by going up to the top deck,” he told CTV News Vancouver. “Transport Canada needs to realize who will pay for my family if I get on and get COVID.”
For decades, passengers have been allowed to remain on the lower decks. Then, in 2017, Transport Canada established the law: everyone had to leave.
In March, when the pandemic first emerged, passengers were allowed to return, but by September – as COVID-19 cases had already started to rise again – Transport Canada reversed that decision.
For three days, CTV News requested an interview with the transportation authority, but was told the senior staff were too busy.
In previous statements, Transport Canada said the rules were necessary to ensure the safety of passengers on the lower enclosed decks.
“Well, I didn’t realize it was $ 12,000, so that’s new information for me,” BC Premier John Horgan said when asked about the problem at a press conference Wednesday. “In general, I believe it is the greater of the two evils. I would prefer people to remain isolated in their car rather than enter a common area where they could transmit or collect COVID-19. “
Horgan said he raised his concern with Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Other ferry systems around the world, including in neighboring Washington State, encourage passengers to stay in their cars.
In fact, passengers parking on BC Ferries’ upper decks are welcome to stay there. They should only leave to get something to eat or use the bathrooms.
Transport Canada, still refusing an interview, said that not all ferries are built alike.
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